


Work(out) From Home

by chemically_yours



Category: Marvel Ultimates
Genre: Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Ults Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27049474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemically_yours/pseuds/chemically_yours
Summary: Captain America has a secret. Tony only teases him a little bit.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	Work(out) From Home

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Ults Day! I started writing this fic over a month ago, planning to have it finished well ahead of today. Instead, I ended up writing almost the entire thing this morning/afternoon. Thank goodness the conference I'm attending is virtual and nobody can see what I'm working on.

Steve rolled over onto his side and tried desperately to cling to the dream he’d been having. As awareness of his own body and the blankets he was wrapped in returned, the dream faded away to static. Stubbornly, he refused to acknowledge he was now awake. He was certain that if he could just remember why the image of cotton candy cones lingered behind his eyelids, he’d be able to slip back to sleep for another hour or two. He had just determined that it had something to do with a carnival…and maybe Clint had been there…when the knock sounded again.

Steve was instantly alert as he leapt from bed and pulled on a t-shirt. The knocking was constant now and Steve was tempted to answer the door with a punch in the face to whoever had pulled him from his slumber on his day off. That urge only marginally lessened when he saw Tony Stark on the other side, holding a giftbox and looking for all the world like he had stepped straight off a magazine cover. He peered at Steve over the top of his sunglasses, giving a once-over that had Steve flushing despite their familiarity. Steve glanced down and realized that he was still only wearing his briefs for bottoms. Awareness of the bright afternoon sunlight streaming through his windows followed with dawning horror that he had slept much later than he meant to and certainly much later than was expected of Captain America. Tony flashed a Cheshire Cat grin.

“My, my. I never would have guessed you of all people would be having a lazy morning. I even stopped by that sweat-soaked, testosterone-fueled, beefcake factory you call a gym, only to be told that you hadn’t been seen all morning.”

Steve moved aside as Tony pushed his way in. The adrenaline spike from waking was fading but Steve’s heart was still hammering in his chest.

“In fact, that wasn’t the only thing they told me.”

A sinking feeling took root in Steve’s stomach. He grappled with what to say to change the subject. Tony was venturing dangerously close to one of Steve’s deepest, darkest secrets. Yet, Steve knew even before Tony spoke his next words that it was too late.

“They told me that you never show up there on Saturdays.”

Steve’s fair skin was inflamed in red. He could feel the heat on his cheeks. Still, he couldn’t find the words to stop Tony.

“Even more astounding, you only go a few times a week at most! They tried to get me to tell them whatever secret workout routine you do at home to keep all those rock-hard muscles of yours in tip-top shape.”

Steve coughed and looked away. Damn Tony. What was it about him that always got Steve so flustered? If it were anyone else, Steve would be able to look them in the eye and calmly state that his workout routine was classified. It wouldn’t have even been a lie. Steve’s workout routine _was_ a secret, in that it didn’t exist. Which, it would seem, Tony had figured out.

“And then I find you at home sleeping well-past noon when by all accounts you should have already gotten all hot and sweaty and be tucking into a super-soldier-sized lunch by now. One would almost think you don’t actually like to exercise, Captain.”

Tony stared at Steve, waiting for a reaction. Steve kept his gaze directed at the window while he fought the urge to fidget under those discerning eyes. He knew he had to say something. Finally, he looked back over at Tony and gestured to the package in his arms.

“So, what’s in the box?”

A beat of silence.

“Oh, my god.”

Tony burst out laughing. Steve counted to five in his head before he snapped at the man still giggling in the middle of his living room.

“I don’t see what’s so funny.”

Tony took several heaving breathes and looked back up at Steve with a wide grin.

“It’s funny because its true, isn’t it? Captain America doesn’t like to exercise! Do you have any idea how many fitness challenges are named after you?”

There were at least 5. Steve had seen them in magazines. Someone had even hung one of the pages up at his gym. It was also one of the most common soft ball questions reporters liked to ask him, on the rare occasion when he let Fury and Betty Ross talk him into giving an interview. How does Captain America like to keep in shape? The truth was that he didn’t really need to do anything. Between the super soldier serum, field missions, and training drills, Steve did all he needed to maintain his physique. He did an obligatory work out a few times a week, but never went out of his way to hit the weights if he had an excuse to avoid it. But no one was supposed to know that. He had an image to maintain after all.

“If I say ‘no comment’ can we drop this conversation and move on to why you were looking for me in the first place?”

Tony’s eyes sparkled with mirth even as he nodded along and agreed to finally put Steve out of his misery.

“Of course, Darling. I suppose that’s enough teasing for one morning. And I wouldn’t want to spoil your present, though I’m not sure how much you’ll enjoy it now. Here.”

He reached the box out towards Steve, who took it with trepidation. The bright yellow wrapping paper failed to cheer him as he diligently peeled the tape back and removed the wrapping in one piece. Tony rolled his eyes at Steve’s caution, but it was nice paper and Steve saw no point in ripping it to bits when he could easily reuse it this way.

The box underneath was plain carboard with no discernable features to hint at what may lie beneath. Finally, Steve removed the top and frowned down at the contents. He had no idea what he was looking at. It was about the size and shape of a watch, though the straps looked like they were made out of soft plastic rather than leather or metal. There was no clock face, only a smooth glass rectangle opposite the buckle. Maybe it was one of those new-fangled digital watches? Steve looked to Tony for explanation.

“The latest fitness tech out of R&D. I was hoping you would test it out for me, put it through its paces, before I talk to Fury about issuing them to the wider SHIELD agent population. Eventually, we think there may even be a market for them among civilian consumers, though that will be a few years down the road once we work out the bugs and figure out what features people actually care about.”

Steve fastened the contraption to his wrist and found a button on the side. The screen lit up with the time and date as he pressed it. So it was a watch.

“I’m guessing there’s something special about this watch if you want SHIELD to buy it. What is it? Water-resistant?”

Tony gave Steve a look that Steve had learned from his soap operas was usually accompanied by the phrase “oh honey.” Fortunately, Tony refrained from this pronouncement, though Steve knew it was there, hanging in the air between them.

“You’re precious. This is much more than a watch. Press the button again.”

Steve did as instructed and watched the screen filter through a number of readings every time he pressed the button. Tony narrated each feature as they popped up. There was a pedometer to measure his steps with a conversion to miles walked, an estimate of calories burned, a sleep monitor to ensure healthy sleep cycles, and finally a heartrate monitor. Tony explained with manic glee that the watch could be hooked up to a computer via a wire that was still in the box and Steve would be able to chart his activities over a time frame of his choosing. And yes, the doo-dad was water-submersible, so Steve had at least gotten that part right.

Steve looked back at Tony, trying to decipher how he was supposed to react to the present. Obviously, Tony had been excited to gift this to Steve if he’d gone out of his way to find Steve on a Saturday.

“Thank you, Tony. I guess I don’t really understand why anyone would want to know all that information, but I’ll wear your fancy watch and let you know how it works.”

Tony laughed again and clapped Steve on the shoulder.

“It’s mainly so people can monitor their health and physical activity. Though if you don’t actually care about exercise, I can see why it would seem useless.”

Tony’s hand rubbed up and down Steve’s arm. He took a step closer and Steve got a strong whiff of his aftershave. The heart rate monitor on the wrist strap beeped and a glance down revealed that Steve’s heartrate had spiked.

“You know, I can think of at least one type of exercise that I know you enjoy. I’m free for the rest of the day if you’re interested.”

Steve remembered a night several weeks ago when he had taken Tony up on a similar offer. He’d told himself at the time that it would only be the once. Now, he reconsidered his options. It had been a fun night, and it wasn’t like he had any other plans for the day.

Steve grinned back at Tony.

“Sure, I could use a new workout buddy.”

Physical fitness was important after all.


End file.
